EVENTUALLY...
The groups arrived in Delphi.
"So Cherry, how was your flight?" Atticus asked his childhood best friend.
"It was fine until Scooby was able to look down to the ground while in flight and then Wonder Woman decided to get him a bunch of Greek-style hot dogs," Cherry replied. "Long story short, I think he's glad to be back on the ground."
"Wait, you had hot dogs with Wonder Woman and I had candy and baloney sandwiches with Shaggy?" Velma complained before she crossed her arms. "Ugh! It's a cruel world."
"Get used to it, sister." Cherry smirked.
"We can complain later, when someone starts to care," said Scrappy. "Now c'mon! We got a minotaur to mangle... again!"
"Look! Tracks!" Wonder Woman observed from behind the other group. "The Minotaur's not too far."
And at that, they began to search together as Fred held a flashlight.
"He has the map and he knows where he's going and now we do too!" Fred said as he led the way before they stopped at just in front of a cave.
"Great," Atticus nodded. "Let's go in there."
"Either way, this place is super creepy." Shaggy whispered on the way into the cave.
"Super-duper creepy!" Scooby added.
They went further along inside and soon found words written on the cave wall.
"There's a poem on the wall!" Velma realized.
"It's Ancient Greek!" Wonder Woman soon said with Velma, Atticus, and Cherry.
"Nice." Wonder Woman smiled as the other three recognized the language.
"Where do you think these muscles came from?" Atticus beamed as he flexed one of his arms proudly.
"Yeah, yeah." Lionel rolled his eyes.
"Velma?" Wonder Woman encouraged her.
"It says, 'Look for the golden sun buried beneath the place'," Velma read. "'Where in ancient times the fleet of foot did race, and were smiled upon by the king of gods' oh so mighty face'."
"Signed Nicos -1821," Cherry added. "Hmm... Sounds like a riddle."
"I think you're right, Cherry!" Velma smiled. "He must've taken the golden head in Olympia, where the original Games took place!"
"Wait a second, guys, I smell something weird." Patch spoke up after he tracked something down with his sense of smell.
"What is it, boy?" Atticus asked his dog.
Then suddenly, the Minotaur snarled and jumped out at them, roaring as Wonder Woman bravely sheathed out her sword.
"It's the crazy Bullman!" Shaggy warned the others.
"Okay, you giant cheeseburger prototype, I've had just about enough of you." Cherry glared as she stepped over with Velma.
"Cherry, be careful!" Atticus warned.
Cherry and Velma soon kicked the Minotaur right in the face before Daphne and Mo joined in.
"It worked!" Daphne smiled before pouting. "But darn it, I had my eyes closed again."
"Hey, at least you hit the right guy!" Lionel replied.
"Where do you think you're going?" Wonder Woman declared as she shot her lasso at the Minotaur, but he dodged it, and threw a rock at a stalactite that caused a rockfall, toppling it on the gang as he made a break for it.
The rocks soon crashed and there was a bunch of smoke from the crumbling.
Cherry poked her head out with the others, coughing a bit as she groaned. "I think I swallowed some rocks." she then complained.
"If we stayed as a group, this would have gone better." Daphne narrowed her eyes.
"If we all trained with Wonder Woman, that would've been better." Fred retorted as he glared at her.
"Come on, guys, no arguing," Sabrina shook her head. "The Minotaur is still at large."
"Besides, it's against the Themysciran tradition." Wonder Woman added about the boys being trained by her.
"Fred, if you want to be trained how to fight, then I will help you." Atticus decided maturely.
"And besides, I know how anal-retentive the Themyscirans can get about their 'no dudes allowed' rules," Lionel added. "It's a long story involving Spring Break, Harley and Ivy, and a lot of ostriches. But I digress."
The others just glanced at Lionel awkwardly and confusedly.
"Ugh... I wish I didn't have this indigestion from the candy and baloney sandwich that Shaggy made me eat." Velma groaned.
"I quite liked it myself." Patch smiled innocently.
"You're a dog, you'll eat anything anyone offers you." Salem rolled his golden eyes.
"ANYWAY!" Cherry spoke up sharply. "Does anyone know how to get out of here? I'm starting to feel claustrophobic!"
"Leave it to me." Lionel replied as he nodded his head, and teleported the group out of the cave.
"Phew..." Cherry sighed. "Thanks, Lionel... That was kinda overwhelming me."
"You're a true friend." Mo added.
"Unlike Wonder Woman over here who takes your best friend to eat hot dogs and not eat food while in an invisible jet!" Shaggy huffed as he glared at the Amazon. "Best friend stealer!"
"Shaggy, this is hardly the time for this." Atticus frowned.
"I don't have a lot of experience with teenagers, but I have to say, you are all very strange." Wonder Woman remarked before she suddenly stormed off.
"Wonder Woman, where are you going?" Sabrina asked in concern.
"I think it's time for me to hunt down and destroy the Minotaur on my own." Wonder Woman declared as she got her sword ready.
"You really can't, it's not what you think," said Velma.
"I can't lose him again; I have to go." said Wonder Woman, as she turned to leave.
"Wonder Woman, wait!" Scooby told her. "We hafta stick together. Remember what's real: being a hero isn't about whether you're a boy or a girl, or a cowardly dog or a hot-blooded puppy; it's about the right thing, the right chemistry; the ring, the rang, the bing, the bong! Fighting for those who can't fight for themselves, as a team! Like our team, you know?"
"That's my Uncle Scooby for ya!" Scrappy beamed. "I knew it was only a matter of time!"
"That's probably one of the most profound things I've ever heard Scooby-Doo say." Cherry commented.
"That was beautiful," Wonder Woman added. "...Well, at least the parts I could understand."
"So?" Atticus smiled hopefully.
"...All right," Wonder Woman then nodded once she gave it some thought. "What say you we do this together? I'll go against the rules and bend with Themyscrian law you all: boys and girls."
The group looked happy and excited about that.
"Then we will bring that Minotaur down as one." Wonder Woman continued with a confident and strong smile.
"AW, YEAH!" declared the group.
And so, they took off in both the invisible jet and the Mystery Machine, using the vehicles as a combination as they were soon in the sky, going after the Minotaur with excellent speed.
"We're making great time!" Fred smiled at the others. "We'll have plenty of time to set up the trap."
"Hooray." Cherry replied dryly.
And so, they came to their next location with little to no time wasted.
"This is going to hurt," Wonder Woman began to tell the others as it was time to train. "You are going to want to quit, but warriors never quit."
"Of course not." Atticus nodded.
"Ready?" Wonder Woman soon asked the others.
"READY!" The others responded strongly.
And so, the training began. It was difficult, but it was most fortuitous. In the background, the song "Eye of the Tiger" could be heard during the training montage. The training consisted of punching and kicking in the air to practice against fighting villains for one thing. Next was heavy lifting which was very easy for Atticus as he lifted up broken pillar pieces like they were simple paperweights, so the others had to be a little extra effort into them. Shaggy decided to do his heavy lifting with Scooby, much to Wonder Woman's amusement. Next, everyone tossed around a rock ball to catch and throw before pushing around heavy discs across the ground, but Shaggy again had used Scooby who was relaxing with some ice cream.
"Ever use a spear before?" Wonder Woman asked Cherry as they came to the next training event.
"It's actually a funny story." Cherry replied with a bashful smile.
"Well, let's hope you haven't gotten rusty," Lionel said as he took a spear as well.
Shaggy tried to throw his spear, but it somehow landed right back where he'd been standing. Scooby tried to throw his, but he ended up poking Shaggy in the butt. Next up was Sabrina, who also got a spear.
"I guess I could do this... Right?" Sabrina asked.
"Go for it, Brina," Cherry replied. "You can't do worse than Shaggy and Scooby."
"Hey!" Shaggy and Scooby pouted.
"You know it's true." Cherry smirked a bit.
"Well... Okay... Here goes nothing..." Sabrina sighed sharply as she readied herself as she got the spear ready in her grasp before she soon tossed it in the air, hoping it wouldn't harm anyone as she looked very nervous about that. It was tough enough being a teenage witch.
The spear at least made it a good distance before it planted its tip in the dirt.
"Hey... That wasn't too bad..." Sabrina smiled.
"Good job." Atticus smiled back.
"YAUGH!" Cherry called out as she tossed her spear pretty far and high and it even planted right into a nearby tree.
The others looked wide-eyed at that before looking back over at Cherry.
"Let's just say I have other adventures away from you guys." Cherry shrugged indifferently.
"Definitely been there!" Lionel smiled, giving a bit of scattered applause for her.
"Oh, come along now..." Cherry shrugged innocently towards them.
Now it was time for some sword-fighting training.
"Ooh. I know I can do this." Atticus chuckled in excitement as he decided to bring out his own sword which was Equestrian.
"Then let's get it going already." shrugged Lionel as he and Scrappy were practicing sword-fighting themselves.
"You wanna go, bro?" Atticus smirked playfully as he showed off his sword. "Let's see what ya got."
"Just watch where you aim." Scrappy reminded.
"I will," Atticus nodded. "I bet I would've been a decent knight in shining armor in The Middle Ages."
"Even though you're already a knight in shining armor in Mo's heart." Cherry teased in the background.
"Like how Lionel is for you?" Atticus replied back.
Cherry just stuck her tongue out at Atticus.
"Just remember to watch me." Wonder Woman reminded the group.
"Right." The group nodded as they began to ready themselves with their swords.
Daphne seemed to do very well so far before she was then allowed to go at it with Fred to test each other's skills. Everyone else then partnered up to do the same as Sabrina stood while Cherry faced Lionel and Atticus faced Mo for their attempts.
Eventually, the group had finished their training.
"Great work, everyone," Wonder Woman commended. "I think you're ready."
"Sounds good." Cherry replied.
"Yeah." Attius nodded in agreement.
"Totally." Mo added.
"Hmm... One more thing." Wonder Woman suddenly said thoughtfully.
Soon, everyone dressed in Greek warrior outfits and took a group picture together. Cherry took an extra picture and soon took out her very thick and lengthy adventure scrapbook and decided to place one of the pictures in her book to add to her many, many, many adventures she had with many friends, old and new.
"That's a keeper." said Lionel as he lightened it, and shrank it to pocket-size.
"All right, we can go now." Cherry told Wonder Woman.
"Excellent," Wonder Woman nodded. "Come follow me then."
And so, they did, coming right for the Coliseum.
"I can't believe we're standing on the very grounds where The Ancient Games took place," Daphne smiled as she looked around. "Isn't it amazing?"
"It reminds me a lot of those times with Hercules," Cherry nodded. "Though Atticus met a couple of other Herculeses in our adventures whether for The Olympic Games or when that battle for Mount Olympus happened with Xena the Warrior Princess." she then added before showing Lionel some pictures for reference.
"It's true," Atticus smiled and nodded. "Those were some great times for me, especially in growing as a strong person in the making." he then added before flexing his strong arms.
"...I see, very fascinating." Lionel replied dryly.
"Be careful," Wonder Woman said, putting her hands out to keep the others back. "These pits were used to hold wild animals."
Fred pondered for a bit. "...that gives me an idea..." he muttered to himself.
"Is it a trap?" Cherry guessed.
"...Maybe it is, maybe it isn't." Fred replied.
"I bet it is." Cherry then concluded to herself.
They soon continued to walk before Wonder Woman looked up, thinking about something else. "That used to my favorite seat." she then pointed out.
"That doesn't sound very comfortable." Sabrina commented.
"Yeah..." Wonder Woman nodded. "Sitting on stone really gets to you after a while."
"If my calculations are correct, this is where the statue of Zeus used to be," Velma piped up as she stepped over to a space in the center. "Which means the head of Apollo should be buried... Right here," she then said as she stepped over to a different spot. "Fred? Grab a shovel! We have some digging to do." she then suggested.
"Right!" Fred replied as he took off to get started.
"Go for it, Freddy!" Cherry called out.
"You got it, Cherry!" Fred nodded in agreement.
Everyone else hid away before looking out a bit and saw a certain someone across from them, waiting.
"Like, there he is!" Shaggy pointed out to the others.
"Just remember to be quiet." Patch advised since the Minotaur was right there.
"I don't know why we're hiding," Wonder Woman said, beginning to draw out her sword. "How about I just go out there and destroy him?"
"The answer is still no." Cherry advised.
"Besides, what if he's just a jerk in a costume?" asked Lionel. "Then you'll be guilty of murder."
"Yikes." Atticus said.
Cherry seemed to give him a look.
"What? That's bad." Atticus defended.
"Nothing." Cherry shrugged at him as they stayed put until they would need to do something new.
"But he still could be a mythical beast who needs to be defeated and sent back to The Underworld." Wonder Woman retorted as she brought out her sword and slashed it around before putting it back.
"Please... Try to understand..." Sabrina told Wonder Woman.
The Minotaur soon sniffed around as he wandered from his hiding spot.
"He's taking the bait!" Velma beamed. "He knows the riddle! He understands that's where the statue of Zeus used to be! This is so exciting!" she then said, shaking Cherry by her shoulders a bit.
"I'm sure that the gods and goddesses that I've met over the years will be happy for you." Cherry stated rather dryly and wearily.
"Same here." Atticus added, especially because of their adventure with Hercules that gave him the strength people knew him for today.
"Let me just end this." Wonder Woman told them she, again, unsheathed her sword and prepared to lunge out only for Fred and Daphne to pull her away before The Minotaur could see or hear her.
"I'm sorry, but the answer is no," Atticus advised Wonder Woman. "We can't let you destroy that guy."
"Yeah, we have to trap him." Fred added, agreeing with Atticus.
"And then you'll see the truth." Daphne advised Wonder Woman softly.
"We'll give you the signal when it's time to jump in." Cherry then said.
"I promise, we know what we're doing, and so do Cherry and her friends." Velma added logically.
"...Okay, I trust you, I guess," relented Wonder Woman.
The Minotaur was now digging as he pulled a large wooden chest from the ground and opened it. But to his surprise, it was empty!
"Hey, Minnie!" called Fred, holding up a statue head. "Looking for ? Sorry, but we got here first!"
The Minotaur roared and charged at the ascot-clad young man, who made a break for it.
"Like, Fred, over here!" called Shaggy.
Fred reached and shot the head, sending it into Shaggy's arms as he was now running. The Minotaur snarled as he soon began to chase after Shaggy.
Shaggy kept running around, freaking out a little in the process as he held onto the statue head.
"Shaggy, over here!" Daphne soon called out to him.
Shaggy saw her and then tossed the statue head over to her next. Cherry and the others soon scrambled around with Mystery Inc as they tossed the head around each other like a game of "Hot Potato" as The Minotaur continued after them, looking very frustrated and impatient during the chase.
"You've heard of Monkey in the Middle, now get ready for Minotaur in the Middle." Cherry smirked before laughing at her own corny joke as she tossed the statue head over to Velma next.
Velma caught the head, then tossed it to Fred who tossed it to Daphne and the three of them began to go back and forth for a while. The Minotaur snarled as he began to get more and more frustrated in this game they were playing.
"You want this? Well, too bad!" Velma taunted The Minotaur before tossing the head over to Fred.
Fred got ready to catch the head only for Shaggy to run by and catch it instead.
"Interception! I totally got the ball!" Shaggy laughed as he ran by with the head in his hands like a football.
"Look out, Shaggy!" Atticus warned as The Minotaur snarled, coming up right behind Shaggy.
"Oh, no! I totally got the ball!" Shaggy yelped at that once he saw who was behind him.
"Hey!" called Scrappy. "I'm open, I'm open!"
"Zoinks! Like, here ya go!" Shaggy replied as he tossed the head over to the Great Dane puppy.
Scrappy leapt up and grabbed the head, although he tipped over a few times while carrying it with him. The Minotaur snarled as he came to try to stop Scrappy.
"Um, hello? Time for me to take over?" Wonder Woman called out and offered from where she was hiding.
"No, Scrappy's got this, as long as it doesn't get him!" Shaggy replied.
"Scrappy, now!" Velma soon called out once she saw the Great Dane puppy and The Minotaur coming close to where they had to go.
Scrappy caught the head and went to "the endzone" which was where they had the trap just waiting for The Minotaur.
Cherry soon turned the wheel that had a chain attached to it and the chain was soon being moved to open a trapdoor in the middle of the ground.
"Boy, do we have a surprise for you, Wooly Bully!" Patch smirked at The Minotaur as he came closer and closer.
"Daphne, watch out!" Shaggy cried out once he saw something coming up.
Daphne then looked over but it was too late as she tripped suddenly, dropping the head as it went flying out of her hands and everyone began to look suspenseful about where it would land. The head soon landed a few inches beside the trapdoor hole as The Minotaur walked by to claim it.
"Time for my way!" Wonder Woman glared as she unsheathed her sword and sprung into action to face The Minotaur.
"Should we stop her?" Atticus wondered.
"Somehow I think that might not be a good idea right now." Mo said to him.
"I suppose not." Lionel replied.
And so, Wonder Woman began to try to fight The Minotaur her own way despite the constant protests from Mystery Inc. All everyone else could do was watch on as the two battled each other and of course, Wonder Woman won in the end as she collected the statue head for herself. The Minotaur breathed heavily as he looked back at her.
"It's time to meet your doom, Beast!" Wonder Woman taunted.
The Minotaur kicked at the ground before he charged towards Wonder Woman, who stood firm with her sword.
"WONDER WOMAN, NO!" The gang exclaimed.
Wonder Woman narrowed her eyes with zero fear as The Minotaur came faster and faster toward her. The Minotaur was then just about to charge against Wonder Woman only for The Amazon Warrior to hop over his head and ended up behind him, allowing her to hit him with her sword. The Minotaur roared in pain at that and Wonder Woman soon kicked him literally from behind right into the trapdoor. Everyone else then gathered around to see the last of The Minotaur once he was stuck underground now.
"So, that wasn't so bad, right?" Sabrina asked Wonder Woman. "You tried it our way."
"I kind of enjoyed your way." Wonder Woman admitted calmly.
"I thought you might," Sabrina nodded. "Now let's wrap up this mystery, shall we?" she then suggested.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," agreed Lionel. "So now we unmask this terrible toro!"
Soon, they had The Minotaur tied up and it was time for the famous mask removal from Mystery Inc.
"All right, gang, let's see who this bully really is!" Atticus soon proclaimed.
"Now you'll see why we couldn't let you destroy him, Wonder Woman." Daphne advised.
Fred grunted and removed The Minotaur mask by the horns and soon revealed the true person who was behind The Minotaur's mayhem.
"The curator?!" Everyone else gasped once they saw who it really was.
"It really was just a man in a mask," Wonder Woman remarked. "I guess there really is method to your madness after all."
"There always is," Scrappy beamed. "Now to figure out why the curator did it!"
"It all makes perfect sense." Velma replied.
"Oh, yeah? Well, could you enlighten us then?" Cherry asked the smart girl of Mystery Inc.
"Certainly, Cherry," Velma nodded as she began to explain what she knew. "Only the curator would have the extensive knowledge of the museum's floor plan to disappear and the stone particles The Minotaur left behind proved to be the same plaster left behind the museum uses to repair the statues."
"And that's why Wonder Woman's Golden Lasso didn't work?" Atticus guessed.
"Yes," Velma nodded as she continued to explain. "The plaster and rubber costume blocked the effects. Plus, only a skilled athlete would be powerful enough to hold his own against Wonder Woman."
"Like Thor or Hercules." Patch remarked to himself.
"Really?" Wonder Woman asked Velma.
"Well, uh, even for a very, very short period of time." Velma replied sheepishly then.
"Well, it's an explanation, to say the least," commented Mo. "Even if it's a bit odd."
"It's something for sure." Salem remarked.
"The only thing left to know is why." Shaggy then spoke up.
"Reah!" Scooby added.
"I'm not saying anything to you weirdos." The curator glared at them.
"Oh, is that so?" Atticus challenged. "Wonder Woman, we could use some assistance." he then signaled The Amazon Heroine.
Wonder Woman smirked as she tightened her Golden Lasso tied around the man to squeeze information out of him, both figuratively and literally until the costume was squeezed off of the man's body. "Think again. Talk." she then demanded to the curator.
"I did it all... I wanted The Golden Head of Apollo," The curator soon admitted. "I was going to sell it and retire a rich man. I've been planning this for years, fakin' it for decades 'til nobody would suspect me, creating The Minotaur costume to hide my true identity, and I would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you meddling kids and Wonder Woman."
"Well, bummer for you, buddy," remarked Lionel. "Because it's the ol' stony lonesome por vous."
"Sorry, but it's for your own good, dude." Cherry added.
The curator sighed and sulked in defeat.
Soon, the police came to dispose of the curator and everyone else was of course free to go.
"The curator is behind bars and The Head of Apollo is safe back at the museum," Wonder Woman said as they began to leave in victory. "Time for me to return to Themyscira."
"I wish I could go to Themyscira." Velma smiled hopefully.
"Me too!" Scooby added.
"Like, me too." Shaggy added.
"I have a feeling none of us will be going." Atticus then said.
"He's right... I'm sorry, guys, and it's hard for me to say this, but your mystery solving is needed here on Earth," Wonder Woman replied softly. "And you're doing humankind a great service and personally, I want to thank you for an amazing, strange, and very fun adventure."
"We understand." Cherry said softly.
"We'll see you another time." Mo added.
"Perhaps... Farewell all, and especially you, Scooby-Doo," Wonder Woman said softly before she picked up the Great Dane by his face and nuzzled him before letting go and going back on her way. "Oh, Scooby~" she then gushed.
"Well, who'd have thunk it?" asked Scrappy. "Even Wonder Woman's crazy about my uncle, that canine..."
"WONDER-DOOBY-DOOOOO!" Scooby exclaimed, as he crossed his paws in an X-shape.
Everyone shared a warm laugh over that as things wrapped up nicely like they usually do.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I could use a vacation." Cherry said, sounding a bit weary.
"A vacation? We're just getting started on these adventures!" Patch told her.
"This is why dogs shouldn't talk... they always get too excited over little things..." Cherry remarked to herself before shrugging. "Meh... I just feel like I need to take it easy if we go somewhere else with our Mystery Inc friends."
"The idea has much merit," stated Lionel. "But where would we go?"
"Hmm... I dunno..." Cherry pondered.
"Beach City?" Atticus offered.
"Too beachy." Cherry replied.
"Hope Island?" Mo then offered.
"Too organic." Cherry declined.
"The Dearly Farm to see my brothers and sisters?" Patch offered.
"Too doggy." Cherry stuck her tongue out.
"And you're too picky." Salem rolled his golden eyes at the perky goth.
"That rules out quite a lot of places," commented Sabrina. "Just where the heck should we go?"
"I dunno, maybe somewhere fun and interesting?" Cherry shrugged. "Like a casino."
"You mean like Chuck E. Cheese's?" Atticus then suggested.
"Maybe somewhere more exciting than Chuck E. Cheese's." Cherry then said.
"Las Pegasus?" Patch asked.
Cherry looked slightly deadpan at that suggestion. "This isn't an Equestrian adventure, so maybe we'll go to our version of Las Pegasus." she then said, cutting right to the chase about what would be an exciting enough break for them.
"Ohhhh. Vegas it is then," Lionel beamed. "Viva, dudes!"
"Never would've taken you for the type to get excited about Vegas, Cherry." Fred commented.
"Eh, we all have our hidden perks." Cherry shrugged in response.
Lionel rubbed his chin. "Gee, I wonder why you'd be so interested in Las Vegas," he commented. "Mayhaps, would it be due to the premise of a certain two-man magical duo?"
"Why Lionel, I'm not sure I know what you could possibly mean~" Cherry replied innocently.
Atticus and Patch shared smirks with each other since they had a pretty good idea of why Cherry would be so excited about Las Vegas.
"Perhaps the names rhyme with 'Zen' and 'Smeller'?" Lionel responded.
"Hmm... Maybe...?" Cherry replied.
"I think yes." Lionel smirked.
Cherry smirked back as she approached him and tugged him by his ear to whisper into it firmly. "Don't embarrass me in front of them if we end up seeing them, otherwise I might go from Perky Goth into Jerky Goth." she then whispered to him in firm warning.
"I would never! Not in eleventy kadillion years!" Lionel responded, sweating bullets.
"I thought so~" Cherry replied before letting him go. "Viva Las Vegas, boys and girls!" she then announced.
"Also that where you had that one adventure with The Looney Tunes." Mo commented to Atticus.
"Yeah, that was a pretty good one," Atticus nodded. "Probably not as good as the one playing basketball with Michael Jordan against those aliens, but still, a pretty fun adventure since we got to hang out with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck."
"Chuck Jones would say otherwise... but I digress!" Lionel shrugged. "Las Vegas: full of winners, losers, losers who think they're winners!"
"Oh, for sure." Patch nodded.
And at that, they took off in the Mystery Machine for another new adventure with Mystery Inc.